‘Start-up services should meet customers’ needs’

The workforceThe company now has 8 experienced PhD scientists who run day-to-day operations with separate teams. "We also have exclusive scientists who develop new affordable tests, and two medical doctors who help with clinical affairs," said Dr Ramaprasad.He further states, "Our small but experienced research team, based in the US works on developing niche tools and tests for the Indian market. The most important is the strong bioinformatics and software development team, who efficiently convert the ATCG data that results in meaningful conclusions."Dr Ramprasad also credits his marketing team for bringing in the much needed revenue."Our overall staff strength currently is 40. And this is expected to grow to about 60 this year," he mentioned.

The collaborationsDr Ramprasad feels that the government should ensure that the right ecosystem and infrastructure are available to start-ups. "Which include incubator facilities, low cost funding, and tax incentives and so on," he said.When asked about the company's collaborations, Dr Ramprasad said, "We are collaborating with key hospitals and translational research centers in India like Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation in Chennai, and Narayana Nethralaya in Bangalore to name a few."The company plans to make use of different schemes promoted by the Government through DBT.

The futureAccording to Dr Ramprasad, the company is focused on developing a low-cost yet highly accurate genetic test for average Indian patients."We are optimistic about reaching this goal in the next one year," he expresses delightfully.Currently, the company is establishing its state-of-the-art genetic testing laboratory in Bangalore, which is a sequencing-based, non-invasive, prenatal testing lab, being built for the first time in the country.He continues, "We are also developing a path-breaking somatic mutation software that helps clinicians guide treatment modalities.""In the next two years, we aim to be one of the best genetic testing services company in this part of the world," concludes Dr Ramprasad.